SIUE Campus Recreation hosts open house for new turf fields

EDWARDSVILLE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Campus Recreation is hosting an Open House from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 20 at its new turf fields at the Outdoor Recreation Complex on campus.

SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Jeffrey Waple will be in attendance. Various activities will be on display such as Quidditch, soccer, flag football and ultimate Frisbee. Campus Recreation will also sponsor promotional items, food and open recreation activities for students who choose to attend.

The intramural and club sports program annually engages approximately 4,000 participants. In addition, a multitude of student organizations reserve the fields for their own events throughout the academic year.

Dylan Verret, a senior criminal justice major from Columbia, likes the new field, because it is “a great effort from the University to help increase the student experience at SIUE.” He also added that the new fields could help increase the perception of how SIUE is viewed by prospective students.

The project entailed replacing the natural grass surface with a synthetic turf on the soccer/football and softball fields. The synthetic turf’s durability and rain tolerance allows for extended playing and practice seasons for club sports teams and intramural sports activities.

Casey Cooper, a sophomore exercise science major from Forsyth and intramural sports official, is excited about the new turf. She believes once students see the fields, it will add to the participation within Campus Recreation programs.

Byrne and Jones Construction, of St. Louis, completed the $1.1 million dollar project that was funded through University student recreation operations and reserve funds. The SIU Board of Trustees approved the project in September 2017.

Students interested in participating in an intramural sports or club sports programs can contact the Recreational Sports Programming Office at 618-650-3274.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.

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